Buru Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Winning the Game
• Components
• Setup
• Glossary
• The Game Board
• How to Play
  • Game Rounds
  • 1. The Dawn Phase
  • 2. The Morning Phase
  • 3. The Noon Phase
  • 4. The Afternoon Phase
  • 5. The Dusk Phase
  • Game End & Scoring
• Regions
  • The Forest
  • The Shore
  • The Village
  • The Sacred Lake
• Lawan
  • Lawan Basics
  • Plot Cards
  • Setup
  • Game Start
  • 1. Dawn Phase
  • 2. Morning Phase
  • 3. Noon Phase
  • 4. Afternoon Phase
  • 5. Dusk Phase
  • Game End & Scoring
• Longer Game Variant
• Pronunciation Guide

Overview

Buru is a competitive mid-weight, Euro-style boardgame for 1 to 5 players. Over 5 game rounds, you and your fellow players will secretly deploy Explorers to 4 different regions of the island in order to gather resources, recruit Islanders, perform tasks, and to pay tribute to local spirits.

Winning the Game

The object of Buru is to win the islanders' Esteem (victory points). This is done primarily by paying tribute to the island spirits, but also by pleasing Elders, tasking local Nobles, fulfilling the king's Decrees, and holding a totem when any player pays tribute to the corresponding spirit.

At the end of the game, the player with the most Esteem wins and is declared the new ambassador of Buru!

Components

• 1 game board
• 1 Emissary marker
• 4 Borobudur (ship) player mats (double-sided for use with the Ambelau expansion; when playing only with the base game, use the side without the guide space above the right side of the fish track)
• 2 player aids
• 12 Decree tokens
• 3 double-sided Spirit Altars — Banyu, Gunung, and Manuk
• 36 Islander cards — 9 Artisans, 9 Gatherers, 9 Nobles, and 9 Priests
• 3 Spirit Totems
• 16 Forest cards
• 13 Elder cards
• 30 Tribute cards — 10 each for Banyu, Gunung, and Manuk
• 20 Explorer tokens (1 set of 5 in each player color, with each set including Power 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
• 4 Esteem markers (1 in each player color)
• 25 palm resource tokens
• 25 clay resource tokens
• 12 Lawan plot cards
• 20 ebony resource tokens
• 8 fish markers

Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table within reach of all players. Place the supply of clay, palm, and ebony resources nearby.
2. All Players: Take a player mat. Choose a color and take the 5 Explorer tokens and 1 Esteem marker in that color. Place your Esteem marker on the 0 space of the Esteem track. Place your Explorer tokens face down on your player mat. Take 2 Fish markers and place 1 of them on the 0 space of your player mat. Place the second Fish marker next to your player mat.
3. Place the 3 spirit totems in the Triumph Reward area of each of their corresponding regions: the Gunung (green) totem in the Forest; the Banyu (blue) totem at the Shore; and the Manuk (orange) totem in the Village.
4. Shuffle the Islander deck and place it face down near the Shore region of the board. Reveal 3 Islander cards to the right of this deck.
5. Place the 3 spirit altars with either side facing up next to the Sacred Lake region of the board (choose or randomly select the face up sides). Shuffle each Tribute deck and place it in the notch on the matching spirit altar.
6. Shuffle the Elder cards and place the deck near the Sacred Lake region of the board.
7. Shuffle the Forest cards and place the deck face down near the Forest region of the board.
8. Shuffle the Decree tokens. Place 10 of these tokens face down to form a stack in the center of the board. Discard the remaining tokens to the box without looking at them.
9. Randomly choose the first player and give them the Emissary marker. All other players gain 3 fish.

You are now ready to play!

Less than 3 players? Additional setup rules are on page 17 (see Lawan).

Glossary

Decree: A token representing a special order from the king, revealed at the beginning of each game round and placed either in a region or next to a spirit altar according to the title of the token.

• When you are Triumphant in a region, you also collect the reward(s) shown on all Decree tokens in that region.
• When you pay tribute to a spirit, you also collect the reward(s) shown on all Decree tokens next to that spirit's altar. The scroll frame indicates this effect continues so long as its source (the Decree) remains in play.

Elder: A private player goal, representing the wishes of a respected elder of Buru. Elders are typically collected at the Sacred Lake region. Each Elder has a unique goal, which you may meet partially or in full to gain bonus Esteem at the end of the game.

Emissary: The first player. All ties in Buru are broken in clockwise order, starting with the Emissary.

Esteem: Victory points; a measure of your support amongst the inhabitants of Buru.

Explorer: A worker, which you place in regions of the game board. Explorers are bid into regions face down during the Morning phase, and then revealed when that region is resolved during the Afternoon phase. The total Power of all your Explorer(s) in a region determines when you choose an action there.

Fish: The fundamental barter resource in the game. Fish are typically used to recruit Islanders at the Shore Region.

Islander: A card representing an inhabitant of Buru. Islanders are divided into 4 groups:

• Artisans are used to swap resources and / or fish.
• Gatherers are used to gain additional resources.
• Nobles are used to gain Esteem.
• Priests are used to enhance Tributes.

Islanders are added to your tableau by spending fish in the Shore region, and then activated by assigning them tasks in the Village region.

Power: A rating from 1 to 5, as shown on the front of each Explorer. The total Power of your Explorers in a region determines when you choose your action there during the Afternoon phase.

Region: One of 4 areas on the board where you place (bid) Explorers to take actions. Each region offers a different category of actions. The 4 regions are:

• The Forest, where you collect resources
• The Shore, where you recruit Islanders
• The Village, where you task Islanders
• The Sacred Lake, where you pay tribute

Resource: A token representing one of three important resources on Buru. In order of value, these are:

• Clay, low value
• Palm, low value
• Ebony, high value

Resources are typically collected at the Forest region.

Spirit: An aspect of Buru, revered by the island's residents, to which the players pay tribute to earn Esteem. Buru's three most important spirits are:

• Banyu, the waters
• Gunung, the mountain
• Manuk, the birds

Task: To activate an Islander card in your tableau. To task an Islander, rotate them 90 degrees. Islanders are typically tasked in the Village region.

Some tasks may only activate certain types of Islanders, as indicated by the Islander type's icon. For example, a task icon may let you task a Noble Islander card, but not an Artisan, Gatherer, or Priest.

Example: To task this Farmer card, rotate it 90 degrees, then collect one palm resource.

Totem: A pawn representing the perceived favor of one of Buru's revered spirits. You take control of a totem when you are Triumphant in the spirit's associated region, as shown on the game board. While you hold a spirit's totem, you gain 1 Esteem each time any player pays tribute to that spirit, including you.

Tribute: To "pay tribute" is to make an offering to one of Buru's revered spirits — through action in the Sacred Lake region or by tasking an Islander card. Depending on the action, you may be able to pay tribute to the spirit of your choice, or to a particular spirit:

• Banyu
• Gunung
• Manuk

When you pay tribute, spend the resources shown on the spirit's altar to the supply, then draw the top card from that spirit's Tribute deck, secretly review it, then place it face down next to your player mat. Collected Tribute cards add to your score at the end of the game.

Triumph: To have the highest total Power in a region during the Afternoon phase. When you are Triumphant in a region, you gain the corresponding Triumph reward (typically, claiming a spirit totem), as well as any Decree rewards in the region.

The Game Board

1. Esteem Track: Running around the edge of the board, this track shows each player's current Esteem (victory points). When you gain Esteem from Triumphs, Decrees, or Islanders during play, advance your marker on this track. Esteem from Tributes and Elders is gained at the end of the game, and can be added to the track at that time.

2. Decrees: This stack contains Decrees from the Majapahit king to the players. Two Decree tokens are revealed in the Morning phase of each round. Each Decree is placed in a region or next to a spirit's altar as indicated on each token, and grants a special bonus to a player who is Triumphant in the region or pays tribute to the corresponding spirit (see The Sacred Lake). When the last Decree token is revealed, the current round is the last of the game.

3-6. Regions: The Buru game board contains 4 regions, each a different part of the island: the Forest (3), the Shore (4), the Village (5), and the Sacred Lake (6).

Each region offers a different set of actions, and different rewards when you are Triumphant there.

• A. Region Name and Summary: The name of the region, with a brief overview of the actions you can take there.
• B. Totem Start / Triumph Rewards: Place the matching spirit totem on this space at the beginning of the game. The icon shown is the reward you collect when you are Triumphant in the region (i.e. when you bid Explorers with the greatest total Power in the region). Typically, you will take the matching spirit totem.
• C. Wilderness: The bidding area where you place Explorers face down in the Morning phase. Decree tokens are also placed here.
• D. Action Spaces: Each region has 5 action spaces, where Explorer tokens are placed as actions are taken in the region. Each action space consists of the following:
  • D1. Explorer Space: Stack the Explorer token(s) you bid in the region in this space to gain the listed benefit.
  • D2. Benefit: The result of your action. You may resolve any, all, or none of these benefits, in any order you wish.
  • D3. Rating: A measure of the action's strength relative to other actions in the same region. Actions rated 3 are the most powerful, while those rated 0 are the least powerful. An action's rating also determines the action an automated player chooses when playing in Lawan mode (see Lawan).

7. Forest Cards and Resource Supply: The resource supply (clay, palm, and ebony), the Forest deck, and face-up Forest cards that may be drafted are placed near the Forest. Resources gained here are used to pay tribute to spirits and fulfill the goals of many Elders.

8. Islander Cards and Recruitment Row: The Islander deck, and a recruitment row of 3 face-up Islander cards are placed near the Shore. Over the course of the game, you will recruit Islanders from this area and add them your tableau, where you may task them to gain special benefits.

9. Elder Deck, Tribute Cards, and Spirit Altars: The Elder deck, and the Tribute deck and altar for each spirit are placed near the Sacred Lake. Each altar shows the cost to pay tribute to that spirit (see The Sacred Lake).

Player Areas: Explorers, collected resources & fish, recruited Islanders, and collected Tribute and Elder cards are stored on or near each player's mat.

How to Play

Game Rounds

The game lasts 5 rounds. Each round is divided into 5 phases. In order, these are:

• Dawn, when Decrees and Forest cards are revealed for the round
• Morning, when players take turns placing all but 1 of their Explorers face down in regions
• Noon, when each player's remaining Explorer collects fish
• Afternoon, when each region is resolved one at a time, and players choose actions based on their Power there
• Dusk, when the board is reset for the next round

The game ends after the fifth Dusk phase. At this time final scores are tallied and the player with the most Esteem is the winner.

1. The Dawn Phase

The Emissary prepares the board for the coming round by following these steps:

a. Reveal Decrees

Reveal the top 2 tokens of the Decree deck, show & explain them to all players, then place them in the corresponding regions of the game board as follows:

• If the token shows a region name (Forest, Shore, Village, or Sacred Lake), place the Decree in the region's wilderness. A player who Triumphs there this round also gains the bonus shown.
• If the token shows a spirit altar name (Altar of Banyu, Altar of Gunung, or Altar of Manuk), place the Decree next to that spirit altar, near the Sacred Lake. Each time any player pays tribute to that spirit this round, they also collect the bonus shown.

b. Refill Forest

Discard any Forest cards remaining from last round. Reveal a number of Forest cards from the deck based on the number of players, and place them face up near the Forest region:

• 1–3 players: 3 cards
• 4 players: 4 cards
• 5 players: 5 cards

If the Forest deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discards to form a new deck.

After Decrees and Forest cards have been revealed, proceed to the Morning phase.

2. The Morning Phase

Beginning with the Emissary and proceeding clockwise, players take turns placing their Explorers in Buru's regions, bidding for their choice of actions later in the round.

Buru has 4 regions, each offering a different type of action:

• The Forest, where you collect resources
• The Shore, where you recruit Islanders and add them to your tableau
• The Village, where you task Islanders to gain their benefits
• The Sacred Lake, where you pay tribute to the island's spirits to gain Esteem

Place Explorers

Starting with the Emissary and proceeding clockwise, take turns choosing a single Explorer token from your player mat. Place the chosen token face down in one region's wilderness (the large illustrated area). You may place any number of Explorers in a region during a round, but never more than one at a time.

The total Power of your Explorer(s) in a region — the sum of the numbers on all Explorers you play in the region — is used to determine when you choose an action in that region during the Afternoon phase.

Continue to take turns placing Explorers in this fashion until all players have only 1 Explorer left. Then proceed to the Noon phase.

IMPORTANT: SECRET INFORMATION. Your Explorers' Power is secret information and must be kept hidden from your opponents! However, you may secretly review the Power of your Explorers at any time.

3. The Noon Phase

Each player's last Explorer fishes to feed the party.

Reveal the last Explorer token on your player mat and gain a number of fish equal to that Explorer's Power. Place your second Fish marker on the "+10 Fish" space if your total exceeds 10. You may never have more than 20 fish.

Once all players have gained fish, proceed to the Afternoon phase.

4. The Afternoon Phase

Explorers are revealed and players take actions. Beginning with the Forest and proceeding clockwise, resolve each region completely, as follows.

a. Reveal Explorers

Flip over all Explorers in the region, revealing their Power (the numbers on the front). Each player with one or more Explorers in the region adds up and declares their total Power.

b. Winner is Triumphant

The player with the greatest total Power is Triumphant in the region. If no Explorers are played into a region, no one is Triumphant there. When you are Triumphant in a region, you gain two benefits:

1. The Triumph reward for that region:
   • Forest: Take the Gunung totem
   • Shore: Take the Banyu totem
   • Village: Take the Manuk totem
   • Sacred Lake: Gain 1 Esteem
2. The rewards on any Decree token(s) in that region. Gain the listed benefit(s) and discard these tokens to the game box. Decree benefits are further defined on the Player Aids.

Tip: Controlling a spirit's totem grants you Esteem each time any player pays tribute to that spirit. It also improves the effects of some Islanders.

IMPORTANT: BREAKING TIES. Ties are common in Buru, particularly in the Afternoon phase. All ties are broken in player order, starting with the Emissary and proceeding clockwise.

Example: If Becky and Sonia have equal Power in a region, but Becky is closer to the Emissary in clockwise order than Sonia, Becky wins the tie.

You can become the Emissary by choosing the Take the Emissary Marker action at the Sacred Lake.

c. Choose Actions

Beginning with the Triumphant player, choose one available action space from the region's action track. You may choose any action space that is not already occupied by Explorer tokens. For full descriptions of the regions and their action spaces, see Regions.

Stack the Explorer tokens you bid in the region on the chosen action space (the gold offering bowl), then resolve the action. You may apply any, all, or none of the effects shown, in any order.

Tip: The red gems below each action space are a rating of that action's efficiency as compared to other actions in the same region (3 gems being most useful and 0 gems being the least useful).

Once the Triumphant player resolves their action, the player with the next highest Power in the region chooses and resolves their action. Play proceeds in order from highest to lowest Power, until all players with Explorers in the region have chosen and resolved an action.

Example: Becky chooses the Shore's space, which lets her recruit up to 2 Islanders and cycles the recruitment row once. Becky may choose to cycle the row once, then recruit 2 Islanders; recruit an Islander, cycle the row, then recruit a second Islander; recruit 2 Islanders, then cycle the row; or simply recruit one or two Islanders without cycling at all.

Becky has 4 fish. She recruits the Farmer (2 fish), adding the card to her tableau and replacing it with a new Islander from the deck. Becky cannot afford any of the other Islanders, so she cycles the row hoping she can afford one of the new Islanders. Unfortunately, after discarding the line and drawing 3 new Islanders, she still cannot afford another card, so she skips her second recruit option and ends her action instead.

With Becky's action complete, play passes to Sonia, the player with the next highest Power in the Shore.

d. Resolve the Next Region

When each player with Explorers in a region has taken an action, proceed to the next region in clockwise order (from Forest to Shore, then to Village, and finally to Sacred Lake). Resolve each region completely. Once all regions are resolved, proceed to the Dusk phase.

5. The Dusk Phase

Reset the board for the next round:

• Discard all face-up Decrees to the game box.
• Collect all your Explorers from the game board and return them to your player mat, face down.
• Untask Islanders in your tableau (return them to their upright, vertical positions).

If this is the fifth Dusk phase (there are no more tokens in the Decree stack), the game ends. Proceed to scoring. Otherwise, begin a new round with the Morning phase.

Game End & Scoring

At the end of Round 5, the game ends and scores are totaled. Start with the Emissary and proceed clockwise.

Total your Esteem from the following:

• Your position on the Esteem Track
• Your collected Tribute cards
• Elders: You gain bonus Esteem for each Elder you fulfill at the end of the game. All Elders have 2 levels. Identify the highest level you can completely fulfill and gain the listed Esteem.

Use the Esteem track to tally scores. The player with the highest Esteem wins and becomes the first ambassador to Buru! In the case of a tie, the tied player closest in clockwise order to the Emissary is the winner. If the Emissary is tied to win, they win the game.

Regions

The Forest

All Forest spaces are the same: choose 1 face-up Forest card from the line, collect the resources shown on the card and place them on your player mat, then discard the card to the Forest discard pile.

Note that Forest cards, rather than Forest actions, include ratings, based upon the value of the resources provided by the card. We recommend you display the Forest cards left to right in order from most to least valuable.

The Shore

Each Shore action space lets you recruit 1 or more Islanders. Some spaces also let you cycle Islanders. You can apply these options in any order you wish (e.g. at the leftmost space, you may recruit, then cycle, then recruit again, cycle and then recruit twice, recruit twice and then cycle, or recruit twice and not cycle at all).

• Recruit an Islander: Choose 1 of the 3 face-up Islander cards in the recruitment row, pay the fish cost shown in the top right corner of the card, and place the card face up next to your player mat. The card is added untasked (upright, vertical orientation). This Islander is now part of your tableau. After recruiting, immediately draw a new Islander from the deck to replace the chosen card in the recruitment row.
• Cycle Islanders: Discard all 3 face-up Islanders in the recruitment row, then draw 3 new Islanders to replace them.

The Village

Each Village action space lets you task 1 or more Islanders. Some spaces also let you gain fish. You can apply these options in any order you wish.

• Task an Islander: Rotate 1 Islander in your tableau 90 degrees and immediately gain its benefit.
• Gain Fish: Gain 1 fish. You may never have more than 20 fish at a time.

An Islander benefit that includes ":" is a transaction. Pay the cost to the left of the ":" to gain the benefit on the right. Pay this cost by discarding resources to the supply and / or shifting the Fish marker on your player mat. If you cannot pay the entire cost, you cannot claim the benefit.

Example: One of the Weaver's benefits is "pay 2 fish to gain 2 palm." If you cannot pay 2 fish, you gain nothing for tasking this card.

An Islander benefit that includes "|" is a choice. You may gain either the effect on the left of the "|" or the right, not both.

Example: The Weaver has 2 benefits. When you task the Weaver, you must either pay 2 fish to gain 2 palm OR pay 1 palm to gain 2 fish.

A benefit within a scroll is a continuing effect. On an Islander card, a continuing benefit is usually under a task icon, meaning that the benefit lasts as long as the Islander remains tasked (i.e. as long as the Islander is turned sideways).

Example: While the Learned Priest is tasked, you also gain 1 ebony each time you pay tribute to Manuk. This is in addition to the normal benefits of paying tribute to Manuk. When the Learned Priest is untasked, you lose this benefit.

A complete list of Islander cards and their benefits is included on the Player Aid.

The Sacred Lake

Each Sacred Lake action space offers a combination of effects: pay tribute to the spirits, collect Elders, or claim the Emissary marker.

• Pay Tribute: Choose a spirit, pay the cost shown on that spirit's altar, then draw the top card of that spirit's Tribute deck. If this deck is empty, you may not pay tribute to this spirit. Keep your Tribute cards face down near your player mat. Reveal them at the end of the game for bonus Esteem added to your final score.

  Example: To pay tribute at this altar, pay two clay and two palm, then draw a Gunung tribute card.

• Collect an Elder: Draw 2 Elder cards and add them to your collected Elders. Then choose any one of your collected Elders (either one you just collected, or one collected previously) and discard it face down to the bottom of the Elder deck. An Elder card is a unique personal goal: generally, to collect a resource, recruit a type of Islander, or pay tribute to a particular set of spirits. Reveal your Elders at the end of the game to score bonus Esteem for the goals you complete. A full list of Elders is included in the Player Aid.

• Take the Emissary Marker: Place it in front of you. You are now the Emissary. You set the table in the Dawn phase and take the first action in the Morning phase. Also, your table position is vital for breaking ties (see Breaking Ties).

Decrees & Tributes: If a Decree is next to the spirit's altar, gain the bonus shown — typically 1 fish — each time you pay tribute & draw a Tribute card. The scroll indicates this is a continuing effect, so all players benefit from this bonus so long as the Decree is in play.

Totems & Tributes: Each time any player pays tribute to a spirit, the player who currently has that spirit's totem gains 1 Esteem. There is no limit to the number of times a player may gain this bonus in a round.

Lawan

The Majapahit are not the only group to sail the archipelago. Chinese seafarers, Malay merchants, and wandering pirates have all visited Buru — and now they work against you!

This mode is a card-driven system that adds up to 2 automated Lawan ("rival") players to any game. A single player can add 2 Lawan to reach the recommended minimum of 3 players, but any number of players can use this mode to raise the count of their game.

Lawan Basics

Each Lawan's strategy and benefits are determined by Plot cards drawn throughout the round. A Lawan player follows the same setup & game play rules as a human player, with the following key exceptions:

• The Emissary manages Lawan players. They place Lawan Explorers, execute the actions shown on the current Plot card, track Lawan Esteem, and break ties as needed.
• In the Dawn phase, the Emissary shuffles each Lawan's Explorers and places them face down on that Lawan's player mat.
• Through the Morning Phase, the Emissary draws Plot cards to determine where the Lawan place their Explorers. No Lawan will place more than 2 Explorers in a region, and if any Lawan places 2 Explorers in a region that Lawan gains a bonus during the Afternoon phase.
• In the Noon phase, each Lawan is dealt a face up Plot card to determine its priorities when recruiting Islanders and paying tribute.
• When taking actions, a Lawan always claims the highest-rated available action space or Forest card. Remember: action spaces and Forest cards are rated by the number of gems on them (0 being lowest and 3 being highest).
• A Lawan never tasks Islanders. Each time a Lawan would task an Islander, it gains 1 Esteem instead.
• At the end of the game, each Lawan gains Esteem from its collected Tribute and Elder cards as normal, plus bonus Esteem based on sets of Islanders it has recruited.

Plot Cards

Each Plot card displays the following information:

• A. Morning Phase – Explorer Placement: This shows where the Lawan place their Explorers ("A" for the first Lawan and "B" for the second Lawan, if playing with both).
• B. Afternoon Phase – Recruiting Preferences: This line shows the Islander types the Lawan most values, with the highest priority on the left and the lowest priority on the right.
• C. Afternoon Phase – Tribute Preferences: This line shows the Lawan's most valued tributes, with the highest priority on the left and the lowest priority on the right.
• D. Double Placement Bonuses: This table shows the bonus the Lawan gains for placing 2 Explorers in the same region, as follows:
  • Forest: When the Lawan gains a Forest card, it also gains the resources shown.
  • Shore: Each time the Lawan recruits, it pays 1 fewer fish. This bonus is the same on all Lawan cards.
  • Village: When the Lawan acts in the Village, it gains 1 Esteem (in addition to any Esteem from tasks in its chosen action space). This bonus is the same on all Lawan cards.
  • Sacred Lake: When the Lawan acts at the Sacred Lake, it gains the bonus shown (it becomes the Emissary OR gains 1 additional Esteem each time it pays tribute this round).

Setup

Shuffle the Plot deck and places it within easy reach of all players.

All players decide how many Lawan to include in the game (1 or 2), to a maximum of 4 players total (humans and Lawan combined). If two Lawan are included, designate one Lawan as "A" and the other as "B." These designations do not change for the duration of the game. Lawan B is considered to "be sitting next to" Lawan A, and always follows Lawan A in clockwise order.

For each Lawan included, place a set of player components between two other players. Place both Lawan players next to each other, with A earliest in clockwise order. Place each Lawan's Esteem marker and 2 Fish markers the same as for each human player.

Game Start

A Lawan cannot start as the Emissary.

Note: While the Lawan cannot start as the Emissary, it can become the Emissary during the game. While a Lawan is the Emissary, appoint a human player to manage the Lawan.

1. Dawn Phase

Include Lawan players when determining the number of Forest cards in the recruitment line.

Shuffle each Lawan's Explorer tokens and place them face down on that Lawan's player mat.

2. Morning Phase

When it is the first Lawan's turn in clockwise order, draw the top card of the Plot deck and refer to the Morning side (on the left). Place 1 Explorer for each Lawan at this time, as shown on the card's region map. Place one of Lawan A's Explorers in the region marked "A." Then, if Lawan B is also in play, place one of its Explorers in the region marked "B." Place these Explorers face down without looking at them.

When each Lawan has placed 1 Explorer, discard the Plot card and continue to the next player in clockwise order, as normal. Another Plot card will be drawn when the first Lawan is reached again in clockwise order.

A Lawan will never place more than 2 of its Explorers in a single region. When a Lawan would place a third Explorer in a region, immediately draw another Plot card and place that Explorer in the corresponding region, following the same rules. Repeat this process until you can legally place the Explorer. Then continue play as normal.

Repeat this process until all players, including Lawan, have placed 4 of their 5 Explorers.

Example: Becky is playing a solo game against 2 Lawan: White (Lawan A) and Yellow (Lawan B). As the only human player, Becky is the first Emissary. She places one of her Explorers first, then draws the Plot card shown next to this example. Becky places a white Explorer in the Forest and a yellow Explorer at the Shore, then discards the Plot card.

This process then repeats, with Becky placing another of her Explorers and then drawing another Plot card.

3. Noon Phase

The Emissary adjusts each Lawan's fish count.

Deal each Lawan a face up Plot card. This card defines the Lawan's priorities & strategies in the Afternoon phase. Shuffle the Plot discards if necessary.

4. Afternoon Phase

When a Lawan acts in a region, it chooses the highest-rated available space or Forest card, using the gems as a guide (3 gems being highest-rated and 0 being lowest rated). When the Lawan must choose between two equally-rated spaces, it chooses the leftmost space.

The Forest

The Lawan collects the resources on the chosen Forest card and discards that card, as normal. If the Lawan must choose between 2 resources, it picks the resource closest to the top of the chosen Forest card.

If there's a tie between equally rated Forest cards, the Lawan chooses the Forest card that offers the most resources. If there's still a tie, shuffle the available Forest cards and draw 1 at random as the Lawan's choice.

Bonus: If the Lawan has 2 Explorers in the Forest, it also collects the bonus resources shown on the Forest line of its Plot card.

The Shore

Refer to the Recruiting Preference of the Lawan's Plot card. This is the Lawan's order of priority for recruiting Islanders, with the highest priority on the left and the lowest priority on the right.

• If the leftmost Islander type is not available in the recruitment row, and the Lawan has an available recruit action, it cycles the recruitment row (discards and replaces all Islanders in the recruitment row).
• If the leftmost type is still not available in the row, or the Lawan does not have an available recruit action, or enough fish to recruit an Islander of that type, continue to the next Islander type in priority order and repeat the process.
• When more than one preferred Islander type is available and the Lawan can afford two or more of them, the Lawan recruits the Islander with the lowest fish cost. If two or more of these Islanders have the same fish cost, shuffle the available Islander cards and draw 1 at random as the Lawan's choice.
• When the Lawan recruits an Islander, immediately replace it in the row. If the Lawan has another Recruit action, repeat the process, starting with the Lawan's highest priority Islander type.
• The Lawan continues to recruit Islanders in this way until it exhausts its actions or has insufficient fish to recruit any available Islander.

Place any recruited Islanders face up next to the Lawan's player mat.

Bonus: If the Lawan has 2 Explorers at the Shore, it pays 1 fewer fish when recruiting each Islander.

Example: Later in the same game, Becky resolves the Shore. Lawan A is Triumphant. Becky places the Banyu totem beside Lawan A's player mat. Lawan A now gains 1 Esteem each time Becky or Lawan B pays tribute to Banyu. There are no Decree tokens at the Shore and Lawan A only placed one Explorer in the region, so the Lawan gains no other bonuses.

Becky places Lawan A's Shore Explorer on the highest-rated space in the region. Then Becky refers to the Recruitment Preferences of Lawan A's Plot card. There are no cards in the row, so Becky cycles to replace all Islander cards. There are still no cards after this, but there are two Islanders: the Palm Trader and the Sculptor. The Sculptor costs fewer fish (2), so Becky pays this cost from Lawan A's supply and places the Sculptor next to the Lawan's player mat.

Becky fills the empty spot in the recruitment row and checks again for cards. There are none, and Lawan A now has too few fish to recruit the Palm Trader. In fact, Becky realizes Lawan A can't afford any of the Islanders in the line, so play continues to the next highest Power in the region.

The Village

The Lawan does not task any Islanders. Instead, it gains 1 Esteem per task in its chosen action space, plus any fish normally awarded there.

Bonus: If the Lawan has 2 Explorers at the Village, it gains 1 additional Esteem.

The Sacred Lake

If the Lawan gains an Elder action from its chosen space, draw an Elder card and, without looking at it, place it face down near the Lawan's player mat. This Elder will be scored at the end of the game.

Refer to the Tribute Preferences of the Lawan's Plot card. This is the Lawan's order of priority for paying tribute, with the highest priority on the left and the lowest priority on the right.

• If the leftmost spirit is out of Tribute cards, or the Lawan can't afford to pay that tribute, continue to the next spirit in order and repeat the process.
• The Lawan continues to pay tribute in this way until it exhausts its actions, all remaining spirits are out of Tribute cards, or the Lawan can't afford to pay tribute to any remaining spirits.
• Place any collected Tribute cards face down near the Lawan's player mat without looking at them. They will be scored at the end of the game.

Bonus: If the Lawan has 2 Explorers at the Sacred Lake, it becomes the Emissary OR gains 1 Esteem each time it pays tribute this round, as shown on the Sacred Lake line of its Plot card.

Example: Later still in the same game, Becky resolves the Sacred Lake. Lawan B is Triumphant and earns 1 Esteem. There are no Decree tokens at the Sacred Lake, but Lawan B placed two Explorers there, so Becky checks the Lawan's Plot card.

Becky stacks both of Lawan B's Sacred Lake Explorers on the highest-rated space in the region. Becky draws the top Elder card and places it face down near Lawan B's playmat without looking at it. Then she refers to the Tribute Preferences of Lawan B's Plot card. Lawan B can't afford to pay tribute to Gunung, its highest priority, or Manuk, its next priority, but it can pay tribute to Banyu. Becky returns the required resources from Lawan B's collected resources to the supply. She draws the top Banyu Tribute card and places it face down next to Lawan B's player mat without looking at it. She also moves the Lawan's Esteem marker 1 more space on the track because of its double placement bonus.

Lawan A still holds the Banyu totem, so it also gains 1 Esteem.

5. Dusk Phase

Return all Lawan Explorers face down to their player mats.

Collect and shuffle all Plot cards together to form a new Plot deck for the next round.

Game End & Scoring

At the end of the game, each Lawan's score is totaled from the following:

• The Lawan's position on the Esteem track
• The Lawan's collected Tribute cards
• Elders: The Lawan gains Esteem based on the goals shown, as normal.
• Collected Islanders: The Lawan scores bonus Esteem for each Islander type (Artisan, Gatherer, Noble, & Priest):

Cards of same type	Bonus Esteem
0–1	0
2	1
3	2
4	3
5+	5

Longer Game Variant

For advanced players and groups looking for a longer or higher-scoring game, simply shuffle 12 Decree tokens to form the center stack rather than 10. The game will last 6 rounds instead of 5. All other rules remain unchanged.

Pronunciation Guide

• Buru: buu-ruu
• Banyu: baa-nyew (water)
• Borobudur: bo-roe-buu-durr (ship)
• Gunung: goo-noong (mountain)
• Manuk: maa-nuuk (bird)
• Lawan: laa-wan (rival, opponent)